Gin roll and breastplate structure



Sept. 15, 1959 A. O'NEAL 2,903,750

GIN ROLL AND BREASTPLATE STRUCTURE Filed June 14, 1957 W2 Wm "WM u INVENTOR. Alt 025w OWE/IL United States Patent 9 GIN ROLL AND BREASTPLATE STRUCTURE Andrew ONeal, Glendale, Ariz.

Application June 14, 1957, Serial No. 665,765

4 Claims. (Cl. 19-52) This invention pertains to improvements in gin roll and breastplate structures and is particularly directed to an improved solid breast knife support and spring mounted gin roll engaging the knife of highly efiicient and durable construction.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a rigid breastplate and roll engaging knife and a yieldingly mounted gin roll held against the rigid knife by spring pressure.

Another object is to provide a structure as recited in which the rigid breastplate knife maintains the proper configuration of the gin roll periphery under all operating conditions.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a rigid breastplate knife structure such that the reciproeating or rotary stripper knife always remains at a predetermined spaced distance from the breastplate knife so as to prevent jamming of these parts. during operation of the machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide a rigid breastplate of a gin having a built-in knife angle for automatically positioning the breastplate knife in proper relationship to the gin roll.

Further features and advantages of this invention will appear from a detailed description of the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a general cross-section through a typical ginning machine incorporating the features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end view of the gin roll and breastplate knife structure particularly showing the features of this invention.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the breastplate and knife structure.

As an example of one embodiment of this invention there is shown a ginning machine having a frame upon which is mounted the raw cotton supply hopper 11, the vibrating seed grid 12 and the pushboard 13 as is usual for such machines. The usual seed receiving hopper 14 is provided below the recited members and may hav a cotton reclaimer 15 with a reclaimed cotton discharge chute 16 and a seed chute '17.

On the front surface 18 of the frame 10 is rigidly secured the breastplate 19 by suitable bolts 20 passing through elongated slots 21 in the breastplate to provide relative vertical adjustment for the breastplate on the frame 10. Preferably, the rear surface 22 which is clamped against surface 18, is converging downwardly relative to the front face 23 of .the breastplate 19. This angular relationship of the surfaces 22 and 23 provides the proper blade angle for the scraper blade 24 which is rigidly fixed to the face 23 of the breastplate 19 by suitable screws 25. The rear stuface 26 of the scraper blade extends downward to the scraper blade edge 27. A gin roll engaging surface 28 snugly contacts and rides against the periphery 29 of the gin roll 30.

The gin roll 30 is mounted to revolve in the direc tion indicated by the arrow 50 on a suitable shaft 31 journaled in bearings 32 supported in the bearing blocks 33 which in turn is slidably mounted on the surface 34 having suitable guideways 35 of the frame 10 so as .to move to or from the blade surface 28 of the scraper blade 24. Suitable hold-down bolts 36 having tensioning nuts 37 and washers 38 engaging the compression springs 39 bearing down against the surfaces 40 of the bearing blocks 33 maintain proper frictional sliding contact of the blocks 33 on the surfaces 34. Load applying bolts 41 fixed at 42a to the blocks 33 having tension adjusting nuts 42 and the washer 43 engaging the compression spring 44 which in turn abuts against the surface 45 of the frame .10 to yieldingly hold the periphery 29 of the gin roll 30 in proper sliding contact with the gin roll engaging surface 28 of the rigid scraper blade 24. A suitable ginned cotton pick-up chute 49 is associated with the gin roll 30.

The usual vertical reciprocating (or rotary) stripper knife 46 is suitably supported by the usual pivot 47 and eccentric 48 on the frame 10 so as to maintain a predetermined clearance 52 (usually .040" for long staple cotton) between the rear surface 26 of the scraper blade 24 and the front surface 51 of the stripper knife 46.

It is important to note that by utilizing a rigid scraper blade 24 fixed to the frame 10 that the critical clearance 52 between the blade and the stripper knife 46 is always maintained since the gin roll 30 floats on the surfaces 34 against the surface '28 of the scraper blade 24 as varying amounts of cotton enter between the sliding contact at 28. Furthermore, the rigid blade keeps the wear on the periphery 29 of gin roll uniform, removing any high spots and cavities which may develop therein. Thus no jamming can occur due to deflection of the blade 24 to cause the stripper knife to engage the edge 27 of the scraper blade as in former machines.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and described constitutes a preferred form of the invention, it is also to be understood that the apparatus is capable of mechanical alteration without departing from the spirit of the invention and that such mechanical arrangement and commercial adaptation as fall within the scope of the appendent claims are intended to be included herein.

Having thus fully set forth and described this invention What is claimed and desired to be obtained by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a ginning machine, a frame, a breastplate fixed on said frame, a scraper blade fixed on said breastplate, bearing blocks slidably mounted on said frame for movement to and from said scraper blade, a shaft journaled at each end in said bearing blocks, a gin roll supported on said shaft with its periphery in engagement with said scraper blade, and yielding means for normally moving said bearing blocks toward said scraper blade to yieldingly hold said roll periphery against said scraper blade.

2. In a ginning machine, a frame, a breastplate fixed on said frame, a scraper blade fixed on said breastplate, bearing blocks slidably mounted on said frame for movement to and from said scraper blade, a shaft journaled at each end in said bearing blocks, a gin roll supported on said shaft with its periphery in engagement with said scraper blade, yielding means for normally moving said bearing blocks toward said scraper blade to yieldingly hold said roll periphery against said scraper blade, and a stripper knife located on the opposite side of said scraper knife from said gin roll movable laterally of the edge of said scraper knife at a predetermined fixed spaced distance from the rear surface of said scraper knife.

3. In a ginning machine having, a frame, a rigid breastplate fixed on said frame, a vertically disposed scraper blade rigidly fixed along the lower edge of said breastplate having a gin roll engaging surface on the front face thereof, horizontally slidable bearing blocks on said frame movable to and from said scraper blade, spring means between said bearing blocks and said frame for normally yieldingly moving said blocks toward said scraper blade, a gin roll having a shaft journaled in said bearing blocks having a horizontal axis of rotation parallel to the scraper blade edge with the periphery of said roll slidingly pressing against said gin roll engaging surface on said scraper blade, and a vertically reciprocatable stripper knife located at a predetermined fixed spaced clearance from the rear surface of scraper blade.

4. In a ginning machine as set forth in claim 3 Where- Cil References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Henderson Nov. 28, 1871 Moss Mar. 29, 1955 Moss July 24, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 1, 1931 

